Combined grate and smoke-consuming fire-bridge.



'PATENTED JUNE 16, 1.903.

A. WEIL. COMBINED GRATE AND SMOKE OONSUMING FIRE BRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES- Patented June 16, 1903.

PATENT 01mins.

ARTHUR wE L, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,993, dated June 16,1903.

Application filed November 15, 1902. Serial No. 131,495. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR WEIL, a subject of the Emperor of Germany,residing at Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented an Improvement in a Combined Grate and Smoke-Oonsumin g Fire-Bridge, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of grates which are used in theordinary construction of furnaces for heating boilers for the purpose ofgenerating steam, and more particularly to furnaces which are especiallyintended to thoroughly consume all liberated gases, soot, smoke,particles of coal, &c., and

thereby insure complete combustion and thorough consumption of smoke.

The objects of my invention are, first, to form a grate-bar having atone end and preferably integraltherewith, a raised or upturned portionand a lower extension forming one part of the bridge-wall for thepurpose of forming the bridge when the requisite number of said bars areassembled in position, and to provide on opposite sides of the barproper recesses or grooves, so that when the I bars are assembled thegrate shall have the I requisite area of draft-openings, and to provideon opposite sides of the upturned end I curved or circular grooves, thelower extension to be formed by a web and upper and lower flanges, sothat when the bridge-wall is formed, as aforesaid, it will containcurved or circular air-passages permitting the introduction of heatedair from the ash-pit through the fire-bridge to be discharged at a pointover the fire in the fire-box; second, to provide a grate-bar which isserviceable,economical,and

of which a grate of any dimensions may be constructed by placing therequisite number of individual bars side by side to form the completedgrate; third, to so construct a bar that it will be prevented therebyfrom warping when subjected to the intense heatof the furnace; fourth,to permit of any one of the bars to be replaced by a new one wheneverone has become unserviceable by long continued use or breakage, and,fifth, to form a combined grate and bridge which in itself will be acomplete and perfect smoke-consumer and which may be fitted to anyfurnace of the nature mentioned now existing.

- the ordinary type of furnaces as constructed for use with a water-tubeboiler. Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken elevation of a portion of thegrate-bar, showing the upturned end. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionalelevation taken in the plane 3 of Fig. 2, showing a number of barsplaced side by side. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a single bar, thesection also being taken in plane 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan view ofa number of bars placed in position side by side. Fig. 6 is a plan viewof a single bar; and Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged transversesectional-elevations taken in the planes 7 and 8, respectively, of Fig.2, all sectional views being viewed as indicated by the various arrows.

In constructing my improved grate-bar A, I provide the bar proper on oneside with recesses or grooves a and on the other side with correspondingrecesses or grooves a and so position them that the grooves a on the oneside of the bar occupy a position relative to the grooves a on theopposite side thereof, so that they'come at a point midway between thesame, causing the grate, which is formed by the assembling of theindividual bars, to be provided with staggered draft-openings which areformed by the grooves or recesses a a, and at a suitable place or placesI form upon the bar a projection or spacing-lug (or more than one) If.

B is-the upturned end or head portion of said bar, having on oppositesides thereof circular or curved grooves or recesses band 12,

corresponding with the grooves a and a on the bar proper and formingwhen the requisite number of bars are assembled curved or circularair-passages for the purpose of-conducting heated air from the recesseson the lower extension, hereinafter referred to, and

through the bridge. V y

B is a lower extension of the bar, comprising a central web I) and onopposite sides thereof upper and lower flanges b forming recesses onopposite sides of said lower extension. The objectof this constructionis. to afford an initial air-passage between ad jacent bar-sections whenassembled for the introduction of heated air entering from below thegrate, from which it is divided into differentcurrents and carried bythe air-pas.- sages b and b, respectively,through the bridge anddischarged therefrom.

By reference to the accompanying drawings it will be observed that theair-passages b and b are similarly placed relatively to each other, asthe grooves or recesses a and a in the bar proper, this obviously forthe purpose of more evenly distributing the air. The said grooves orrecesses in the bar proper and also in the said upturned end commencingfrom the top of the bar gradually decrease in depth to the bottomthereof, so that when the bars are assembled the openings between thesame at the bottom thereof extend the entire length of the grate-barproper, this obviously for the purpose of permitting a sufficientquantity of air to pass through the staggered openings aforesaid,whilethe curved or circular grooves in the upturned end form one passage withthe recesses formed by the web and flanges of the lower extension.

In constructing a grate with my improved grate-bar it is possible tohave the individual bars,which1 have alread yd escribed,extend theentire length of the furnace-chamber proper; but in furnaces having anunusual length of grate-surface it is advantageous to use two or morelengths of bars, in which case only the inner or rear sections aresupplied with the upturned ends, the other sections being without saidupturned ends, but otherwise constructed as hereinabove described. Whentwo or more lengths of bars are used, the adjacent ends of the same aresupported on a cross-bar 0.

By forming the bars as described, with the recesses a a and b b onopposite sides thereof in a staggered position, the bar is so stiffenedby the projections or faces of the bar between said openings that thebar is thereby braced, so as to better resist the warping tendency ofthe bar, which is one of the chief objections to the ordinary bar now inuse. This improvement, together with the projection or spacing-lug aproperly placed on the side of the bar near the bottom thereof, preventsabsolutely any moving or warping of the bar.

It will readily be seen that by staggering the grooves a a theair-passages through the grate are so broken up and irregular inposition that they permit of very fine or powdered coal being usedwithout danger of its passing through the grate in an unconsumed state,at the same time afiording a more even and uniform distribution of airthrough the draftopenings to the fire above.

Another advantage of my invention over similar inventions is that it isa complete smoke-consuming apparatus and may be fitted into any furnaceof the nature mentioned at the beginning of this specification withoutrequiring the furnace to be altered in any particular. By forming onopposite sides of the upper extension B grooves in curved or circularshape, as shown in the drawings,

heated air from below the grate-bars is con= ducted through anddischarged from same in such a direction and at a point to intercept theliberated gases and unconsumed smoke, soot, particles of coal, 850., toinsure perfect and complete combustion before the same shall have passedfrom the furnace and over the bridge-wall, as it otherwise would, in anunconsumed state.

It will be understood that in forming the bridge-section as abovedescribed there will be but one recess in the lower extension of the baron either side thereof, from which the curved grooves or recesses lead.

The upturned end of the fire-bars when assembled may form thecomplete'fire-bridge or only the fore part of the bridge-wall, as isshown by Fig. 1.

I prefer to construct the grate-bar with a chilled and smooth uppersurface, so as to prevent the clinging or adherence of slag to same, andthus permit of the use of any quality of coal.

I prefer to construct the fire-bar, together with upturned end and lowerextension, in one piece.

While I have illustrated and describedthe bridge portion or raised orupturned end as integral with the bar proper, I do not mean to beunderstood as limiting myself to that construction, for obviously thebridge may be constructed apart and distinct from the bar proper andeither in sections or in one entire piece, so as to be operated with anykind of grate, this construction and use being contemplated by me inpractice.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination in a grate-bar and hotair fire-bridge of a grate-barprovided with vertically-extending grooves on opposite sides of the bar,said grooves on one side being directly opposite the spaces between thecorresponding grooves on the other side, a spacing-lug on said bar, abridge-section integral with said bar provided with a lower extension,said lower extension having recesses in its opposite sides, saidrecesses communicating with a plurality of curved passages terminatingabove the grate-bar; said curved passages on one side of saidbridge-section being directly opposite the spaces between thecorresponding passages on the other side, substantially as described.and for the purpose specified. v

2. In agrate-bar and hot-airfire-bridge, the combination of a grate-barprovided with vertically-extending grooves on opposite sides of the bargradually decreasing in depth from the top thereof to the bottom, saidgrooves on one side being directly opposite the spaces between thecorresponding grooves on the other side, a spacing-lug on said bar, abridgesection integral therewith provided with a lower extension,'saidlower extension having recesses on opposite sides communicating thespaces between the corresponding grooves on the other side,substantially as described.

ARTHUR WEIL.

with a plurality of curved grooves on opposite sides of saidbridge-section terminating at the top of the bridge-section; said curvedgrooves gradually decreasing in depth from the top of saidbridge'seotion to the bottom Witnesses: thereof, said curved grooves onthe one side 7 AKSEL K. BODHOLDT,

MAURICE BERKSON.

of said bridge-section being directly opposite

